why is unemployment taking so long - NYS Department of Labor claim delays

The adjudication process can definitely take longer than expected, especially if there are any questions about your separation from employment. NYS Department of Labor has to verify details with your former employer, which can add weeks to the timeline. Have you checked your my.ny.gov account for any outstanding issues that need documentation? Sometimes there are requests for additional information that people miss.

OMG same here! Mine has been stuck for 3 weeks and I'm getting so anxious. What if they deny it? What if I filled something out wrong? I keep refreshing the website hoping something changes but it never does. This is so stressful when you need the money.

If you were laid off and it wasn't for misconduct, your claim should eventually be approved. The delay is likely just due to high volume or your employer taking time to respond to the separation verification. You can try reaching NYS Department of Labor through their online message system, though response times are slow there too. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even during adjudication - that's important.

I was having the same problem getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone until someone told me about this service called Claimyr. You go to claimyr.com and they basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but I tried it last week and actually got through to someone who could explain what was happening with my claim. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth trying if you're desperate to talk to someone.

The whole system is a joke honestly. They make you jump through hoops and then take forever to process anything. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for years and it never gets better. They're probably short staffed and don't care that people are struggling.

hang in there! mine took 6 weeks but eventually got approved and they paid me for all the back weeks

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed in early February after my retail job ended and it's been "pending adjudication" for almost 4 weeks. The uncertainty is killing me because I have no idea if there's an actual issue or if it's just taking forever. I've tried calling so many times that I've memorized the automated message. At least it helps to know other people are dealing with this too and that there's still hope it'll get resolved eventually.